Web-cutter for circular-knitting machines.



W. RAVEN. VBC CUTTER 'FCR CIRCULAR KNITTINC MACHINES.

APPLITION FILED DEU. 16. 1911.

k A-r-rv WILLIAM RAVEN, 0F LEICESTER, ENGLAND.

liVEB-CUTTER FOR CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Lancero.

atentcd Dec. 311, 1912.

Application flied December 1G, 1911. Serial No. 666,256.

'To LZZ whom it 'may concern:-

Be it known 'that I, WILLTAM RAVEN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Leicester, .in the county ot' Leicester, England, have invented certain .new and useful Improvements i or Relating to "Web- Cutters for Circular-Knitting Machines, ot which the following is a specitication.

This invention relates to circular knitting machines and comprises automatic mechanism for cutting oft' predetermined lengths of fabric as it is being knitted.

The invention includes a cutter and means interposed between it and a pattern wheel, chain or equivalent for periodically automatically (noerating,f the cutter and causing it to sever the fabric. The cutter is located within the needle cylinder' and is moved into and out of the cutting position at the desired times. Preferably a circular cutter is employed, carried revolubly upon a spindle mounted on a slide movable to and Alro along an arm or bracket so that the cutter may be brought into and ont ot' cmctact with the fabric in the cylinder. The said slide may be actuated through the medium ot" links, rods, and levers 'from the pattern` wheel, chain, or equivalent, a spring being preferably combined with the slide or its actuating mechanism to move the cutter to its inoperative position. lf'ifhen moved into 'he operative position, the cutter sevcrs the fabric by contact. therewith, the cutter press ing the fabric against the inside ot the cylinder. A ring, preferably of hardened steel, may he let into the interior of the cylinder between which ring and the cutter the fabric may be severed. f.

ln order-that the'ihvcntion may be clearly and readily understood, reference will be made in the 'following further description to the accompanyinl@r drawing, whereinr- Figure 1 a partly sectional. elevation ot a knittingl machine furnished with one 'tormenti arrangement of fabric severing mechanism according vto this invention. Fig. 52 is a side View otI parat ot the actuating mechanism of the cutter. llig. tl is a dia-- metrical plan view showing the relation o' the cutter, the fabric and the inside of the needle cylinder; v Referring to the drawing,l a is the needle cylinder and Z) is the circular fabric passing down through the said needle cylinder.

The form of severing mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, comprises a cutter 1 which is, by' preference, in the :form of a disk having a sharp peripheral cutting ed ge 2. The cutter disk is preferably loosely e'. e. reyolubly mounted upon a screw or spindle 3 carried by a slide 4 and the said slide is movably arranged on an arm or bracket 5 (for example by means oit screws 6 passed through a slot or slots 7 in the slide, et) attached to a convenient part of the framing of the machine, conveniently to the usual pivoted ring c. The slide 4 may he actuated to and fro along the arm or bracket 5 hy means of a link 8 pivotally connected to the said slide and to one end of a roel: lever 0 t'ulcrurned at 10 and con-.

nected at its opposite end to a slide rod 11. The said slide rod 1l receives actuation 'trom a lever 12 (Fig. 2) connected by a lnlf` 'l to a rock lover 14. Movement is 'lumai-ted to the rock lever llt by means of a stop or dog 15 on a. 'pattern wheel 16 rotated by any suitable driving .means in the knitting machine. The lever 12 is fu]- crumed at 17 and this lever `transmits increment to the slide rod 'll through the medium of a spring 18 which conveniently .may bo located around the rod 1l and between a collar 19 thereon and the end of the lever 12. The lever l2 actuates the rod 1l by compressing' the spring 18 and thus the cutter 1 is pressed against the inside of the needle cylinder' a with a yielding pressure. The pressure of the spring 18 may bo adjusted by moving the collar 19 in position alongl the rod 'll to prevent the edge 2 of the cutter l pressing with too milch force against the inside of the needle cylinder. The slide rod 11 is normally drawnt'down by means of a spi-infr 20 and thus the cutter 1 is normally held in the inoperativoposition, which position is represented by the full lines in Figs. 1 and B.

When in the inoperative position, the peripheral cutting edge 2 of the cutter 1 is clear of the rotating circular fabric 7) in the cylinder a but when, during thc rotation of the Wheel 16, the dog 15 moves under the adjacent end of the rock lever 14, the latter is moved as indicated by the dotted lines and by means of the link 13 rocks the lever 12 and raises the slide rod 1.1 by means of the spring as aforesaid. This movement of ti i slide rod 11 rocks the lever 9 which thereby actuates the slide et as represented by the dotted lines so that the cutter 1 is moved into contact with the rotating circular fabric l), the sharp peripheral edge 2 of the cutter pressing the fabric against the interior of the cylinder n; and thereby severing said fabric. The operative z'. c. eut-ting position of the cutter is represented by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3.

Al/Vhen the stop or dog 15 moves from under the end of the lever 14, the spring 2O returns the mechanism to its normal position thereby withdrawing the cutter 1 until the dog 15 again actuates the mechanism. The cutter 1 being loose on its screw or spindle 3 Will be rotatably moved on its axis at each contact with the rotating fabric and thus the Wear, engendered by cutting through the fabric, Will be distributed approximately equally around the whole of its circumferential cutting edge 2.

For the purpose of receiving the thrust Vof the cutting edge 2 of the cutter 1, a ring 21, preferably of hardened steel, may be let into the interior Wall of the needle cylinder a. When the cutter is moved into the operative position its cutting edge 2 vvill press the fabric b into contact with and sever it against the said ring 21.

The frequency with which the cutter 1 is moved into position to sever the fabric depends upon the purpose of the latter, but Whether it is at the termination of each stocking leg or toe, or at each length of fabric sufficient for a sleeve or other article.v it is determined by the arrangement and number of stops 15 on the pattern wheel 16 or its equivalent. The pin 22 'which connects the slide rod 11 and the rock lever Sl, preferably passes through a curved slot 23 in the latter, this allowing the ring c, carrying with it the arm 5, cutter 1q and lever 9, to be turned upward on its pivot (Z and raised from the needle cylinder a in the customary manner.

What l'. claim then is 1. lFor a circular knit-ting machine, mechanism for cutting off predetermined lengths of fabric, consisting of a cutter located Within the needle cylinder, and means for autoniatically moving the cutter into and out of the cutting position.

2e For a circular knitting machine, automatic mechanism for cutting olf predetermined lengths of fabric, comprising a cutter located within the needle cylinder, a driven pattern member, and connections be,- tween said cutter and the pattern member whereby the cutter is brought into and out of the operative position to sever the `fabric at the times required. t'

3. For a circular knitting machine, fabric severing mechanism consisting of a circular rotary cutter disk having a sharp peripheral cutting edge, means to movably support the cutter disk Within the cylinder, and means to automatically move the cutter bodily into and out of the cutting position and cause it to press the fabric against the interior wall of the cylinder to sever said fabric.

fl. For a circular knitting machine, fabric severing` mechanism comprising a circular cutter disk having a sharp peripheral cutting edge, means to move said cutter bodily and bring its cutting edge into and out of contact with the interior Wall of the needle cylinder so that it sevcrs the fabric thereagainst, and means to loosely support said cutter si that it is rotatably driven by contact with the rotating fabric and needle cylinder when severing` the fabric whereby the wear is distributed around the Whole of the circilmferential cutting edge of the cutter.

5. For a circular lniitting machine, fabric severing mechanism comprising a circular disk cutter located Within the needle cylinder, means to movably support said cutter so that it may be moved into and out. of contact with the interior Wall of 'the said. cylinder, an actuating device for the cutter, and adjustable yielding connecting means -betiveen said actuating device and the cutter whereby the pressure of the lat-ter against the Wall of the cylinder during the severance/of the fabric may be varied for the purpose described.

(i. For a circular knitting machine, fabric severing mechanism consisting` of a circular disk cutter, a slide, a pin by which the cut ter is rotatably .mounted upon the said slide, a fixed arm on Which the slide is movable to bring` the cutter into and out of the operative position on the interior of the needle cylinder, a rock lever, a pivoted link connecting the slide with the rock lever so that the latter may actuate the slidedn the manner aforesaid, a slide rod v,to actuate the rock lever, a lever to actuate said -slide rod in one direction, a spring" to actuate said slide rod in the opposite direction, a spring adjustably arranged and forming the operable connection between the slide rod and its actuating lever, a link to operate the lat-ter, a pivoted rock lever to actuate'said link, and a pattern Wheel adapted to actuate said rock lever at the time or times re quired, substantially as described.

and for the purpose 7. A circular knitting machine having fabrlc sevemng mechanlsm consisting of n 5 cutter, means to move sald cutter lnto and out of Contact With th needle cylinder so that thereagainst to sever tl ring let into the inner e inner Wall of the it presses the fabric 1e same, and a steel wall of `the needle /v cylinder to receive the thrust of theveuttingrlo edge of the cutter during/the severance of the fab1'iesubstantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aix my vsignature in presence of two witnesses.`

WILLIAM RAVEN. Witnesses: l

E. N. LEWIS, GEORGE LESTER. a 

